Scouring the Internet yesterday, one could found thousands of websites declaring this year's Oscar ceremony somewhat of a national tragedy. Many blamed Billy Crystal's tepid return to hosting, others blamed the producers' tendency to shove nostalgia down the audience's throat both via smug clips of actors talking about going to the movies and the Cirque du Soleil performance that was supposed to simulate the experience of going to the movies but did not resemble it in the least. Others blamed the predictability of the awards themselves, with The Artist seemingly preordained to win Best Picture for months.
Furthermore, several entertainment websites brainstormed about who should host next year's Oscars (if the world doesn't end, of course), and they came up with many of the same names, from Seth Rogen (who was great hosting the Independent Spirit Awards) to Chris Rock (pretty funny when presenting best animated film) and Emma Stone (who many found charming but was actually interminable in her Oscar presenting debut). However, none of these lists included the person who should host the Oscars in 2013: Will Ferrell.
Even at 44 years old, Ferrell has many fans in the coveted younger demographic advertisers love and his position as host would make the ceremony worth watching to them. He is always hilarious outside of his movies (as seen here) and his appearance with Zach Galifianakis to present Best Original song was one of the few highlights of Oscar night. He has also been a great presenter at past Oscar ceremonies, so his inherent familiarity with the atmosphere would give him an advantage over someone like Rogen, who has only presented once.
Most importantly, if Ferrell were to host the Oscars, he would bring the element of unpredictability that Billy Crystal sorely lacked. Everyone knew exactly the kind of schtick Billy Crystal would bring as host, and it made for unwatchable television. Meanwhile, Ferrell is a master improviser, so the potential for an off the cuff joke on the level of John Stewart's Three-Six Mafia jab is extremely high. While many might consider him too weird to host the Oscars, that might be exactly what the show needs, especially if the awards themselves are all but predetermined. Ferrell is a big enough star that he can get away with saying just about anything in front of his peers without suffering the consequences (except he might not star in any Weinstein Company movies anytime soon).
Whoever gets the unenviable job of producing the Oscars should realize that Will Ferrell combines the younger appeal that Anne Hathaway and James Franco were supposed to bring with the showmanship and fearlessness of Billy Crystal at his best. The Oscars might never be wholly compelling television, but naming Will Ferrell as Oscar host would signal to audiences that the producers at least have the ambition to try and make it so.
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